The Light In The Darkness
by NerdGirl3456
Summary: Beauty and the Beast Reylo AU The Force has been unbalanced by the creation of Kylo Ren. As punishment, he has been trapped in a Star Destroyer, alone until a young Jedi, Rey found him. What will happen now that they're trapped together, with Ren under orders from his Master to turn her, and Rey realizing there is more than a monster under his mask?
1. Introduction

Hello! Nerdgirl3456 here, still Reylo trash. This is the first story I've published in a while, but personally, I love it (if that's okay to say). Constructive criticism welcomed. Favorites and Follows are much appreciated. I would like to acknowledge, my knowledge of the Star Wars universe isn't exactly where it should be. There might be inaccuracies, so please be gentle. As always, rude comments are not tolerated. If you wish to protest Reylo, do it elsewhere. Don't own Beauty and the Beast or Star Wars. Also, just to be clear (although I'm sure you'll figure it out) the words in italics are thoughts.

* * *

 _A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…_

 _Hidden deep in the stars was a solitary Star Destroyer, inside of which lived a man known as Kylo Ren. Born as Ben Solo, he lived with the light and darkness constantly battling within him._

 _Succumbing to the darkness, Ren had betrayed his former master, Luke Skywalker, killing his students and destroying his school, placing himself under the command of his new master, Supreme Leader Snoke._

 _One night, an intruder boarded his ship. Stormtroopers caught him and brought him to Ren, who quickly passed judgment on the man._

 _Death._

 _The intruder warned him not to succumb to the dark thoughts within him, for they were not his own. Suddenly the Stormtroopers holding him disappeared._

 _Without hesitation, Ren cut the man down, not realizing who he was. His lightsaber passed straight through him. It was then that the visitor was revealed to be a manifestation of the Force itself, the power which created and bound all things, which gave both the Jedi and the Sith their power._

 _It told him that there was still light within him and he had betrayed it, unbalancing the Force itself. The revelation left Ren stunned, but he did not accept its words. The man disappeared, and in a instant Kylo Ren's forces were gone, leaving him stranded alone in space as punishment until he could embrace the light within him._

 _In empty space, days bled into years and he was abandoned by the galaxy, forgotten by all but those who had known him as Ben Solo. His bitterness at the light only grew as he was confined. It was only if he could accept the light within him, he would be freed. But until then, he was contained to the Destroyer, even if for all time._

 _Years passed and Ren fell further into the darkness, which he held close. After all he had done, how could he turn back to the light?_


	2. Chapter 1

Rey walked quickly through the halls of the Resistance base on D'Qar. People nodded to her as she walked past and she responded politely. She didn't know most of them, they knew her. Or rather, her reputation.

Trying not to crash into the haphazardly stacked machinery, Rey made her way to the hangar. Running to a old ship that appeared to be junk but was deceptively functional, Rey waved to the familiar Wookiee unloading crates from the ship. Chewbacca rubbed her head affectionately as she passed him.

A man looking both aged and disgruntled stepped down the boarding ramp. Rey stepped eagerly up to him, obviously anticipating something.

"No, you're not getting your hands on the Falcon," Han Solo said, walking past her.

"Come on," she protested, chasing after him, "I didn't hurt it when I fixed it, why can't I poke around now?"

"It's not the working I'm worried about," he told her, pausing in his step to jab a finger in her direction, "it's the poking."

She sighed, knowing he wouldn't change his mind.

"How'd the flight go?" Rey asked, changing the subject as she walked alongside him.

"We ran into some Nippers on Lutrillia. But luckily they didn't get their teeth in the Falcon."

Han walked straight into the command center where Leia met him with a hug. Rey smiled softly at them. They were so much happier when they were together.

 _Had her parents had been like that?_

She quickly pushed those thoughts away. They would accomplish nothing.

Knowing he wouldn't leave anytime soon, Rey wandered back to the ship. Chewie was talking animatedly to Poe and Finn, obviously reenacting their encounter with the Nippers. They laughed together as Rey approached.

She smiled at them and Finn gently touched her arm in greeting. Rey stood, silently listening. She could feel their humor fade with her presence, so stepped away from them.

This had been happening more often.

Rey left the hangar, climbing into the hills where she could overlook the base. She sat in the grass, playing with the soft leaves as she looked into the distance at the sun. It slowly began to shrink beneath the hills, turning the sky pink. It's warm light faded. Rey craned her neck, watching as much of it as she could before it disappeared behind the horizon. The wind grew around her, stealing the grass she had picked from her fingers.

Rey wanted to find a belonging, somewhere she had a family. And she thought she had. But when she left to train with Luke Skywalker and came back, everyone treated her differently.

 _Perhaps it was because she was different._

 _But the urge only grew stronger. Rey just wanted to belong somewhere._

 _She wanted to be loved._

General Hux paced evenly, but quickly down the halls of the _Finalizer_. The Dreadnought was the commanding ship of the First Order, but home to someone far more important than any organization. Pressing a button, the elevator doors opened smoothly for him.

The elevator slid soundlessly open after it halted and he stepped into the red walled throne room. Praetorian guards stood in pairs around the chamber, the red of their armor blending into the walls. He took another step before kneeling.

"Rise," Supreme Leader Snoke rasped. The General stood, hands habitually folded behind his back.

"Have you any information on the location of the Resistance Base?" Snoke asked.

"They are somewhere in the Ileenium system," Hux answered, "once their ships create more traffic, we will have their location. We should have it within three weeks."

"Too long," he ordered, discontent in his voice, "speed it up."

General Hux bowed. "Yes, Supreme Leader." He turned to leave.

"Do you have a location on Kylo Ren?" Snoke asked as an afterthought. Hux stiffened and turned to face Snoke, averting his eyes.

"No, Supreme Leader," he answered stiffly.

"Very well. That will be all." Hux bowed and stepped out of the chamber, seething with anger at the mere mention of his rival.

The _boy_ had caught Snoke's attention simply by being powerful. Hux had to claw his way to the top for Snoke to finally recognize him. And despite the fact he had been missing for years, he was still Snoke's protege. That should have been his position. He deserved it more than Kylo Ren did.

"Well, we're heading out," Han walked up to her, "we'll be back in a few days. Just a cargo run."

"I can't believe they have you doing cargo runs," Rey told him.

"I asked," he answered pointedly, "reminds me of old times."

"Oh." She looked sheepishly down at her worn boots. "Good luck."

"Thanks kid." Han turned and walked towards Chewbacca who was waiting by the _Millennium Falcon._ "Come on."

Rey watched and waved to them as the old ship slowly rose into the air, leaving her and the planet behind. She couldn't help but remember the vision she had seen when she first touched Luke's lightsaber, of her at eight years, screaming into the sky as her parent's ship flew away.

"Please come back," she whispered.

Rey went to train a few hours later. Cutting and parrying at the training dummies, she felt dissatisfied. She had been used to training in the wilderness where she could use her abilities without risking knocking down the entire base. It had happened before and she vowed to not do it again. As a result, she could never relax. She had to constantly stay in control.

Sighing frustratedly, Rey grabbed her lightsaber and left the base, going into the woods. She found a clearing and sat, legs crossed on the ground. Taking a breath, she relaxed slightly.

 _Reach out._ Rey could almost hear Master Luke's words. _What do you see?_

Rey saw it.

 _Light_.

Life

 _Darkness_.

Death

 _Balance_.

An endless cycle.

She felt a tug. The Force wanted to show her something. Exhaling slowly, she let it take her where it wanted.

Instantly, Rey was was whisked away from D'Qar and sent though the stars. There was so much out there. An entire galaxy teeming with light. An empty blackness emanating darkness.

She let herself be pulled through the stars, finally seeing the _Millennium Falcon_ flying peacefully through space. But something was wrong- she could feel it. Nothing appeared to be malfunctioning on the ship, but with each second her dread grew.

Rey could feel the Force was going to show her what was wrong, when she heard someone calling her name.

"Rey," she heard someone say, "Rey!"

She opened her eyes and saw Leia kneeling in front of her. Various fighters surrounded her, hands on their weapons. Cracks in the earth ran around her, stretching outwards.

"Did I…" Her voice trailed off. Leia nodded. "I'm sorry."

Rey stood and walked back to the base with her, but was unable to shake the feeling something was wrong. Frustration tingled at her that she hadn't been able to see it. If she could see it, maybe she could stop.

But she should have kept better control over herself and not endangered the Resistance.

"It's nice out here," Han told Chewbacca," I only wish I knew where we are."

The Wookiee grumbled in agreement.

"How bout we go this way?" Han suggested, words bold, though his voice betrayed his concern. The stars before him were unfamiliar, which was something that rarely happened. He and his co pilot had flown all over this galaxy.

"Not even a damn cargo run could go right," Han muttered. Their navigation systems had shorted about halfway through their flight.

"I should have gotten Rey to fix those," he told Chewie, "that girl's good."

He roared in agreement.

"Don't tell her I said that," he added in an afterthought.

Han steered the ship around an asteroid and saw a Star Destroyer sitting alone in the darkness. Chewie was preparing to turn away from it when Han stopped him.

"It doesn't seem to be functioning," he said, looking at the screen, "we should check it. There might be something of use. Data, weapons…"

Chewie was resigned to agreement and they flew into the open hangar of the ship. Landing smoothly in the darkened hangar, Han shut off the ship.

"Lets go," he told Chewie, climbing from the seat. He was itching for an adventure. The Wookiee followed, shouldering his bowcaster.

The landing gear thudded, echoing in the darkness. Han held his blaster out, ready to shoot at anything that moved. Their footsteps echoed in the empty hangar.

The rest of the ship was as empty and dark as the hangar, but the weight Han simply labeled as bad had settled in his gut.

"I got a bad feeling about this," he told the Wookie who grumbled in agreement. He trusted Han's perception and they began to return to the hangar, having found nothing of use.

However, a blinking light in the darkness caught Han's eye. A bank of machines sat in a room off to the side, looking as if they were drives for the main computers.

"Chewie," he whispered, "here."

Han put his blaster beside him and began poking at the screens. He didn't know much, but he knew enough to find the data Leia would need.

As he flicked a switch to begin downloading information, the distinctive sound of a lightsaber igniting echoed in the room causing Han to grab his blaster and point it in the direction of the noise. A dark, robed figure stood at the door, the firey red lightsaber the only source of light.

"You," the man stated simply as the point of Han's blaster began to drop. The mask warped his words so they sounded mechanical.

"It can't be," he whispered, hand shaking, "Ben?"

"Ben Solo is dead."


	3. Chapter 2

The roar of engines alerted Rey to the incoming of a ship. She looked up and saw the _Millennium Falcon_ flying towards the hangar at a rapid pace. Too rapid.

"Everybody move!" Rey shouted and the people in the hangar scattered like animals. The ship landed, almost crashing to the ground, sending parts flying. The dust settled and she ran towards it, the rest of them on her heels. The landing ramp fell open and Rey ran into the ship.

"Chewie?" she asked as the Wookiee almost collapsed on top of her. "Where's Han?"

Blood was matted in his hair from what looked to be cuts by a lightsaber. He was mumbling what sounded like nonsense. Rey helped him off the ship, half carrying him. A crew of medics ran toward her, pushing through the crowd and helped her shoulder the large Wookiee.

"What happened?" she asked as they helped him onto a stretcher.

"A Destroyer…" Chewie mumbled only half making sense, "lost in the Unknown Regions… not functioning… Han captured…"

He lost consciousness and the medics took him away. Rey stepped towards the ship as everyone started whispering amongst themselves, trying to figure out what was going on.

She searched the _Millennium Falcon_ for Han before sitting in his seat and checking the computer. The navigation systems had shorted.

Rey sighed and pulled open a panel, digging through the wires to find the two she needed. Connecting them with a small jolt of electricity going up her arm, the computer beeped and lit up. She shook out her arm as she pulled up the logs. Just as Chewie had said, they had been in the Unknown Regions.

"How did you get that lost?" Rey muttered to herself as she worked, "I should've checked the system."

Once she cleared the burnt out wires, she started the ship's engines. She was going to find Han.

It took her a few hours to reach the Unknown Regions. Rey had tried to fix the tracking systems, but they were burned beyond what she could fix mid flight.

Climbing back into the cockpit, she saw the Destroyer suddenly loom before her. Chewie had been right- it didn't look like it was functioning.

Rey flew the _Falcon_ into the hangar and left the ship to investigate the Destroyer.

It seemed like the ship itself was dying. Cold air pressed into her arms, sending a shiver through her. Something was off about this place.

Whispers seemed to echo through the dead ship, clinging hauntingly to her as she stepped hesitantly through the hangar.

 _"A girl? What's she doing here?"_

 _"She's here for the father."_

 _"He won't let her take him!"_

"Hello?" she asked, her voice echoing back to herself. Rey tightened her grip on her lightsaber and shut her eyes, reaching into the Force. She didn't have time to search the entire ship.

Her eyes flew open when she found him. But someone else was here too. Rey didn't have time to figure out who. She ran through the corridors, choosing direction through pure instinct.

Soon enough she found him. He was locked in a cell, deep in the ship. A single cold light shone down on him.

"Han?" Rey asked, kneeling by the bars, reaching through them to the hunched figure. She could see her breath in the air.

"Rey?" Han half crawled to the door, grabbing her hand. His fingers were stiff with cold. "How'd you find me?"

"Fixed the navigation systems. I'm getting you out!" Rey tugged at the bars, her lightsaber falling from her hand.

"No, you have to get out of here! Before he finds you. He wants to hurt me, but he won't care about keeping you alive."

"Who?" Rey asked, her brow furrowing. She held on tighter to his hand. Han's eyes widened, looking behind her.

Rey was pulled away from him, held in midair by a strong grip on her throat. She struggled against the Force, but the user was too strong.

"No!" Han shouted, reaching for her as her head began pounding from the pressure. A dark robed figure stepped from the shadows, hand stretched out to her. A mask hid his face, black with silver etched into it.

"Let her go. You already have me, you don't need her!" Han pleaded desperately with the figure. Her lungs were burning and spots were dancing over her eyes.

"You're right." His voice was distorted by his mask. "I don't."

He released her. Rey fell to the ground with a gasp.

"Why are you keeping him?" Rey asked when she was able to breathe again.

"It is what he deserves."

She heard a lightsaber ignite and pulled hers to her hand, blocking his strike at her neck. Rey stopped it a few inches from her face, the lightsabers sizzling and hissing against each other. The combination of blue and red light from their sabers reflected against his mask. She couldn't see his reaction under it, though his head turned slightly as if intrigued.

"You are strong in the Force," he calmly observed.

His words momentarily stunned her, allowing him to strike her lightsaber from her hands in a swift motion, sending it skittering across the floor.

Rey tried to call it back to her, but he froze her entire body with the Force. She tried to move, but her limbs refused to respond. He stepped imposingly towards her, lightsaber burning unstabley in his hand.

"Ben don't!" Han shouted, clutching onto the bars.

"Why are you here?" he asked. When she didn't answer, he held his hand up to her face, pushing his way into her mind.

Rey shut her eyes tightly, trying to push him out. She had heard of this from Master Luke, but never experienced it herself. He pushed past her defenses easily, the Force pulsing around them.

"You're here for him," he murmured, "you feel like he's the father you never had."

Rey could feel tears leaking from her eyes as she struggled against him. His probing hurt and she didn't want Han to know that.

"He would have disappointed you," he commented.

 _How would he know?_

"You finally feel like you have a family. Chewbacca. Finn. Leia." His voice seemed to crack at the last name, but she attributed it to the mask.

"Get out of my head," Rey hissed, pushing harder against him in desperation. She had to protect the Resistance. He couldn't know where their base was or where Master Luke continued his solitude.

His breath seemed to catch behind the mask. They struggled against each other for a moment. Their minds were locked in conflict. Suddenly it reversed with a snap and she could see into his head.

Anger. Pain. Loneliness. She saw a fire burning, smoke rising from a falling building. The Jedi Academy. Luke had told her about what happened. One of his students had destroyed it all.

"Kylo Ren," Rey hissed at him before he pulled his hand away like she burnt him, releasing her body. She fell to the floor again, her stomach doing backflips.

 _How had she done that?_

He turned away from her and Rey looked to Han, was watching the whole ordeal with wide eyes. The sick weight of fear settled in her stomach. But she wouldn't let him die here.

Kylo was still in the corner, like he was deciding what to do with her. But his focus wasn't on them. Carefully using the Force she unlocked the door.

"Run," Rey mouthed to Han before the man rounded on her again. Han shook his head as she climbed to her feet.

Rey turned her eyes defiantly up to the masked man. He seemed… intrigued, though she couldn't be sure from the mask. Shutting off his lightsaber, he gestured at her face, stealing her consciousness from her. Her body went limp and she didn't remember anything else after that.


	4. Chapter 3

Rey woke and shivered. It shouldn't be this cold in her bunk. Opening her eyes, she saw metal walls that weren't familiar. She sat up with a start and frantically looked around. A dark shape was sitting silently in a chair a few feet away. Startled, Rey scrambled away from him on the couch.

"What do you want from me?" she asked. Kylo didn't answer.

"Who is Ben?" Rey asked hesitantly, hoping for a reaction. Han had called him that. Maybe it meant something to him.

Instantly he shot upright, lightsaber burning at his side. She squeezed her eyes shut, sure he was going to kill her. Instead he turned on the machines lining the walls, slashing at them repeatedly, sparks flying through the room.

Rey couldn't help but be offended despite her fear. She could have survived off those for months on Jakku.

Kylo rounded on her, lightsaber stopping inches away from her neck. Rey froze as the heat tingled her cheek, heart pounding.

"Never repeat that name," he growled. Kylo turned away from her and left the room, the door slamming behind him. It locked with an audible click.

Rey immediately climbed from the couch and started searching the room. He'd taken her lightsaber and blaster, which she'd noticed when she moved. There was nothing of use in the room. The machines still had glowing lines from his lightsaber etched in them. She would have instinctively started taking them apart, but they were too hot for her to touch.

"Forgive my intrusion," a voice spoke from behind her and Rey whirled around in surprise, "but what is it you plan on doing now?"

A old bearded man, clothed in robes stood behind her, glowing with a bluish light. He looked like a ghost.

"Who are you?" she asked inquisitively.

"I am Obi Wan Kenobi. Or as some prefer, Ben Kenobi."

"You're Ben?" Rey stepped towards him. She could see the opposite wall through him.

"In a way. The man who you know as Kylo Ren was originally called Ben-" he was interpreted by another ghost like figure appearing beside him. This one radiated irritation.

"Stop talking," he hissed. It was another robed man, though younger and had a scar over his eye.

"I will do no such thing Anakin. Besides it's your fault she's in this mess to begin with."

"My fault! I'm not the one who released the smuggler downstairs!"

"You've never approved of him. Besides that's exactly why she needs to get out of here."

Rey stood awkwardly as they spoke. Kenobi (she decided that she would call him Kenobi) gestured with a hand and the door opened.

"Shut the door!" Anakin protested. When Kenobi didn't, he did himself with a similar gesture.

A shout echoed from below her along with crashing. Kylo must have discovered Han's escape. The roar of engines echoed from the hangar as the _Millennium Falcon_ took off. Rey was stranded, but Han was safe.

Kylo appeared at the door moments later. She glanced at Anakin and Kenobi, but he walked right past them.

"You helped him escape." Even though his words appeared calm, Rey could feel his fury.

"Yes." She refused to back away from him, to show fear.

"Even though he left you. You're foolish." He turned away from her, leaving the room. Anakin and Kenobi watched silently.

"He couldn't see you," she said to them, "why?"

"He's too close to the darkness." Their previous bickering forgotten, they both looked disappointed.

"I apologize," Kenobi said, "you must forgive our first impressions. I'm afraid I may have startled you."

"Why would I be startled? I'm talking to ghosts." Rey paced around the room. If she couldn't feel their connection to the Force, she would have wondered if she was going insane.

"Force ghosts. Please. There's a difference," Anakin answered, sounding almost insulted.

Kenobi opened the door again and Anakin glared at him. "You mustn't be afraid to go where you like here."

"Except the northern sector," Anakin added.

"What's in the northern sector?"

 _Was it a means of escape?_

Kenobi went to answer, but Anakin shook his head vigorously.

"Nothing," Anakin quickly answered for him, "storage space."

They may have been dead, but they were terrible liars. Rey took a step out the door, but when she turned back she saw they had disappeared. She couldn't stop the bitter thoughts that came.

 _Nothing new. Everyone always leaves._

Han stumbled into the command center of the Rebellion base.

"Han?" Leia asked, immediately running to him, "what happened?"

"Help, you have to help her," he muttered, gripping onto her arms. His face was white and he was shaking, though from cold or shock Leia didn't know.

"Help who?" she patiently asked as medics came running to help.

"Rey! He's got Rey."

"Who?"

"Ben." The medics took him away. Leia reluctantly let him go, feeling as if she was lightyears away, lost in memories. The name triggered something in her.

Her voice was slightly dazed. "We have to find the ship."

She began asking for volunteers to check the _Millennium Falcon's_ logs and send fly to those coordinates.

"I'll go," Finn immediately volunteered. Leia knew he would do anything for Rey.

"So will I." Poe stood next to him. He would do anything for Finn. She nodded and they ran off towards the hangar.

Kylo paced around his chambers.

 _What was she doing?_

He didn't care that she was wandering the ship.

 _But why? What was the point? Why was she so loyal to Han Solo? He wasn't worth it. More importantly how did she resist him?_

A warning beep echoed through his chambers, interrupting his thoughts.

Swiftly, he moved to the assembly chamber where he knew the hologram would be projected. He arrived barely in time, kneeling before the twenty foot figure of Supreme Leader Snoke.

"Kylo Ren," he hissed. Even a hologram held an imposing enough presence to keep Kylo in complete submission.

"You have a prisoner," Snoke observed.

"Yes. A girl. A scavenger from Jakku. But she has been trained by Skywalker. She resisted me."

A combination of disappointment and curiosity was in Snoke's voice. "A Jedi? And you kept her alive?"

"I-" Kylo tried to speak, but was silenced when Snoke began searching through his mind.

"I perceive the problem. You have compassion for her. It is not her strength, it is your weakness." His voice was flat with disappointment. "Is it because of Han Solo?"

"Never," Kylo denied, staring at the ground.

"Weak," Snoke hissed. The word stung, but Kylo didn't show it.

"You will turn her. I would, but you are unable to leave that cursed ship," he continued, "you will succeed, or…"

Even across the galaxy, he could feel as Snoke constricted the Force around him, reminding him of what he would do if he failed.

"Yes master," Kylo submissively said, bowing his head as the hologram disappeared. He clenched his fists. She would turn. Or he knew he would be punished.

Rey felt his approach before she saw him. Turning, expecting a fight, she was surprised when he simply said, "you need a teacher."

Rey glared at him. Anger erupted in her. "You've held me against my will, now you want me to cooperate? To be my teacher?"

He clenched his fists and she could feel his gaze penetrating through the mask. His presence was unnerving her slightly, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing that.

"I asked you..."

"And I said no!"

"You won't get any food until you listen," he hissed, the mechanical mask helping with his tone, "starve or cooperate!"

Kylo turned away and left her, robes flowing behind him.

"It wouldn't be the first time," Rey growled at his back.

Continuing to wander, she found a room that looked like it used to be quarters for a high ranking officer. It had enough facilities that she knew she could survive here for a while. Better yet, there was a small computer in the wall.

Hurriedly, Rey turned it on, sifting through its contents. She started to figure out a way to send a message to the Resistance.

A presence entered the room and without thinking, she snapped, "I thought I told you no."

"It's only me." Rey turned to see a woman, astonishingly beautiful. Flowers were woven in her dark hair and she wore a dark purple dress that flowed around her gracefully. She glowed slightly with the blue she had come to associate with the Force ghosts.

"Hello. My name is Padmé." Rey stood defensively before the computer, half hiding it behind her back.

"Let us talk before you go," she offered, "I find people can make more sense of a situation after a few words."

Rey found herself nodding and sat on the bed. Padmé gracefully sat beside her.

"That was a very brave thing you did for my son in law," she began.

"Wait, you're…"

"Leia and Luke's mother. Yes." Padmé smiled fondly. "I believe you already met their father."

For a moment, she thought it was Kenobi she was talking about. But then she remembered the other one.

"Anakin?" Rey asked hesitantly. She nodded. Rey took a moment to process the information.

"We all agree that you were very brave."

"All the… Force ghosts?"

"Yes."

Rey was silent for a moment. "I'm worried about everyone. Han… I don't know if he made it back."

"I believe you'll feel better after you eat," Padmé answered, obviously skirting the question, though if it was because she didn't know, or didn't want to tell her, Rey didn't know.

"But he said I won't eat unless I let him teach me. I'm used to going without food."

"People say a lot of things in anger," Padmé wisely said, "it's our choice whether or not to listen. Besides, he wasn't angry at you. Not truly."

She stood and Rey felt compelled to follow.

"Come." Padmé walked out the door and brought her to what Rey assumed was the meal hall. Inside, different Force ghosts milled around, talking amongst themselves. The moment her and Padmé stepped into the room, the noise quieted.

Padmé guided her through the room. She saw Anakin and Kenobi (who gave her a nod) in the crowd. The quiet chatter resumed and Kenobi came over and showed her where the food was. He escorted her to a table where Padmé and Anakin sat. A small green… someone sat beside Anakin. She would learn that his name was Yoda.

Rey ate quietly, feeling strangely relaxed amongst the ghostly people. She listened to the conversations that passed across the room. But she didn't like how some of them looked at her- like she was a rare disruption in their daily lives that they weren't sure what to do with.

Rey left when she was finished, Padmé accompanying her.

"I don't understand why you're here," Rey said to her, "are you trapped like I am?"

"No, we are not trapped. We're here out of choice- for Ben," Padmé answered, "deep inside, there's still light within him. It's been straining to get out. We came to try and help him acknowledge it. But so far… nothing. He can't even see us."

Rey glanced down the hall. Something tugged at her. "Kenobi said something about the northern sector."

"Never mind about that," Padmé quickly dismissed, "off to bed, I think. It's been a long day for you."

She waved at Rey as she began walking towards her room. When Padmé disappeared, Rey glanced back down the hall. It called her. Quietly cursing her sensitivity, she started down the opposite hall.

The northern sector was barely lit and ill maintained. Rey walked along, hoping she wouldn't trip over anything. Deep gouges laced the metal along the wall from Kylo's lightsaber. Marks of his anger. A nervousness stuck in her stomach. She shouldn't be here. But she pressed onwards, feeling something calling to her.

Looking behind one door, she saw a tall chamber with no apparent use. Rey had never seen one like it before. It emanated darkness. She stepped away with an involuntary shiver.

Continuing on, she wandered into his quarters. They were dark and windowless. Rey wondered how anyone could stand to live alone in the darkness. Even him.

Rey saw a pedestal in the corner. This is what was drawing her in. She stepped closer. The burned and warped remains of a mask were positioned reverently on it. Beside it laid her lightsaber, placed deliberately beside the mask. It radiated darkness.

Rey reached for her lightsaber, blood pounding in her ears. Her fingers brushed against the worn metal and the lightsaber flew from her fingers. She gasped and whirled around. Kylo was standing behind her.

"What are you doing here!" he shouted, "what have you done!"

Rey scrambled away from him. His calm anger was frightening, but his rage was worse. She was terrified, all earlier bravado forgotten.

"Nothing! I didn't-"

"Get out of here!" Kylo shouted, "go!"

"Checkmate," Kenobi told Anakin. A dejarik board sat between them.

"You cheated," Anakin grumbled. Rey came running through the halls.

"What are doing?" Kenobi asked her as she ran past them.

"Leaving."

"No, stop!" Anakin shouted after her, "go! Go!"

Force ghosts materialized out of nowhere, chasing after her.

"Stop her!"

"Don't let her leave!"

"Stay away from the ships!" All of them froze and looked to the man who had accidentally shouted the key to escape.

Rey heard him and ran to the hangar. Through a side door, she found an old TIE Fighter. Disappearing inside, the engines rumbled to life and the ship rose smoothly into the air. She steered the ship out of the hangar and flew away.

"Don't!" Kenobi shouted after her, stumbling to a stop, Anakin on his heels, "it's dangerous! We can't help you!"

"No," Padmé whispered, staring at the fleeing ship, her hope abandoning her.

Rey steered between the enormous asteroids, desperate to leave behind the Destroyer. She glanced behind her to see if he was chasing her when a large asteroid suddenly loomed before her. With a gasp, she yanked the ship upwards, sending her spiraling into another asteroid, this one almost as large as a moon. The ship was caught in its field of gravity but managed to land in one piece.

She tried to take off again, but the thrusters wouldn't work. Rey untangled herself from the harness and jumped out.

Climbing over the ship, she began to search for the problem. Finding that the thrusters were knocked out of place with the rough landing, Rey gave a solid hit to realign them and climbed back towards the cockpit.

A piece of debris pulled in by the asteroid's gravity hit her ship, sending her tumbling to the ground. She looked up, the stings of cuts and scrapes on her skin, to see the TIE Fighter burning.

Picking herself from the ground, she felt a rumble and looked around. Rey was surrounded by grey creatures that blended almost perfectly with the rock. They were middle sized, looking like Vulptex, but lean and powerful, all muscle and teeth.

One of them growled and leapt towards her. She slammed it into the rocks, but it just came back. There was something off about them. When she pushed it again, it didn't move. Rey froze in shock.

The wolf-like creatures were able to manipulate the Force.

They all circled around her at once and she kept trying to keep them at bay, but they closed in on her, precise and deadly.

She had no lightsaber.

No blaster.

Not even the Force.

One of them snapped at her shoulder and it's teeth grazed her skin. Numbness spread through her arm.

 _Venom?_

Rey didn't have time to figure it out.

The leader of the pack snarled at her, baring its teeth angrily and stepped forward, ready to kill. Rey was still preparing to defend herself when it leapt at her.

A dark shape jumped from the rocks, landing in front of her. Kylo took the leader's teeth with barely a sound. He struggled against it, the leader's teeth sinking into his shoulder, claws cutting into him before his lightsaber ignited and the leader fell to the ground, cut almost in half. His lightsaber burned in fierce contrast to the rocks as he slashed at the rest of he creatures and they disappeared seamlessly into the rocks.

"Kylo," she whispered in shock. He looked to her, breathing heavily and she could feel his gaze through the mask on her. They stared, transfixed at each other for a moment until he fell to the ground.

 _The venom._

Rey looked around for his ship. It sat on the other side of the rocks. An easy escape. She ran towards it before halting suddenly as if someone had jerked a string around her middle. Rey looked back, seeing him lying on the ground, half hidden by his robes.

 _He had come back for her. Why?_

She couldn't leave him. Slowly, she walked back to him, kneeling beside his motionless form.

"I need you to do something for me," Rey told him and he stirred slightly at the sound of her voice, "I need you to stand."


	5. Chapter 4

Poe and Finn flew through the Unknown Regions. Even Poe's skill was being challenged by the debris that seemed to fly out of nowhere, forcing him to swoop around crazily.

"Are you sure it's this way?" Finn asked as he watched the asteroids and space trash fly by.

"That's what the computer's telling me." Poe narrowly avoided a quickly moving clump of asteroids. "But there's nothing out here."

Poe turned on the communicator. "General, there's nothing here. We're going to turn back."

"What? No we have to find Rey!" Finn protested.

"And how will we do that if we're dead from being smashed against the rocks?!" Poe wrenched the ship harshly around and flew back to D'Qar.

"Take the mask off," Rey told him, arms crossed stubbornly in front of her. Kylo glared at her, but seemed to sway slightly from his sitting position on the bed, betraying his injuries.

Raising his gloved hands to his helmet, he gave in. She heard the machinery whirr quietly, front plate sliding forward before he pulled the mask off.

Rey didn't know what she was expecting, but a dark haired, pale man wasn't it. Though she recognized his gaze- the way it felt on her skin, sending shivers up her spine now that it fell unobstructed on her. Kylo leaned forward, eyes locked with hers, mask in hand and dropped it on a table with a loud thud.

The trance was broken.

She looked away, busying herself with the medical supplies she had found. Rey heard the rustle of fabric behind her and when she turned and saw his bare chest, she quickly looked away.

She slowly climbed behind him on the bed, sitting behind him before gently pressing the cloth to his shoulder. Bites and scratches ran dark red along his back, indicating how hard the leader of the pack had fought. He stared into the wall, giving no indication of pain as she cleaned out his wounds.

"If you hadn't run, this wouldn't have happened," he stated. His voice sounded simpler without the modifier, but it held the same undertone. The same anger was there. Always anger.

"If you hadn't tried to kill me, I wouldn't have run away," Rey retorted. He grabbed her wrist, halting her motions and looked at her. She glared back at him at him. His fingertips pressed into her skin, surprisingly soft.

"You shouldn't have been in the northern sector." His eyes drifted to her shoulder, face softening almost imperceptibly. Rey followed his eyes to the wound on her shoulder.

"You should learn to control your anger." She pulled her wrist from his hand and sliding off the bed.

At the door, she looked back. Kylo sat silent and unmoving on the bed.

 _Why did he come after her?_

She would have been dead if it wasn't for him. Her eyes drifted over the bites and scratches on his back.

Rey opened her mouth to say something, but she wasn't sure what.

"You should get some rest." Was all that came out.

She shut the door and turned to see the blue glow of Kenobi, Anakin and Padmé waiting for her.

"Why do you care about him so much?" Rey asked as they walked down the hall.

"We've watched him his whole life," Kenobi answered.

"Why stay? You didn't do anything." They were silent for a moment.

"You're right," Padmé finally answered regretfully, "when his parents left him alone and let the darkness inside him grow, when Snoke took Ben and twisted him up into something he wasn't, we did nothing."

"I want to help you," she told them. Rey had grown quite fond of Force ghosts. "There must be some way he can see you."

"Well-" Anakin began, but Padmé interrupted him.

"It's not something you need to concern yourself with. Ben made a choice, and only he can change it."

Rey opened the door his quarters a few hours later to check on him. Kylo was tangled in the sheets, curled up so tightly it looked like it hurt.

"Kylo?" She stepped towards him. He was shivering on the bed and she could see beads of sweat on his back and neck, soaking through his dark hair. Rey crossed to the other side of the bed and saw that his eyes were shut tightly, entire body tensed.

She leaned over him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder to wake him up. Kylo's eyes flew open at the contact, lightsaber coming towards her out of nowhere. His eyes were wide and unfocused, filled with fear. The lightsaber froze a few inches from her cheek and suddenly turned off. It fell from his hand, thudding softy on the bed.

Kylo's mouth fell open slightly like he was incapable of explaining what happened as his chest heaved in fearful breaths. His eyes were wide, but slowly focusing as he left whatever nightmare he had.

Rey's heart was pounding. But somehow she knew he didn't mean to hurt her.

"It's all right." Rey sat on the edge of the bed. Kylo ran a hand through his damp hair, his breathing slowing.

"You were dreaming," she told him quietly, "do you want to talk about it?"

He glanced sideways at her and shook his head slightly. Giving her a look, like he wasn't sure why she cared, he climbed out of the bed, moving around the room.

 _She didn't know why she cared._

Rey turned her eyes away from him. She had walked in on a moment of weakness and didn't know what that meant for her.

Her eyes drifted to the lightsaber on the bed. It wasn't his, it was Luke's. Rey hadn't noticed in the moment.

"Why use this one?" she asked, "why not yours?"

Kylo looked at her and she met his gaze. He had put his robes back on, but looked less intimidating without his mask. More human.

"I thought you were going to steal it," he admitted. Her fingers unconsciously skimmed over the metal, but she pulled her hand away when his eyes caught the motion.

"Take it," Kylo said.

"Really?" Rey looked up in surprise.

"Yes. You might need it." He walked out of the room, leaving her to contemplate her new freedom. Her fingers closed around the familiar lightsaber and she turned it on, relishing in the familiar buzz. It was only when Rey shut it off that she realized he had left his mask behind.

Rey found Kylo standing on the command deck, staring out the window into space. She stepped beside him.

The stars were reflected in his eyes.

She wondered if he knew she was there. He seemed to be a thousand light years away.

"Where did you come from?" Kylo asked, his voice little more than a murmur.

"You already know," Rey told him, looking into space.

 _He read her mind. Why did he care?_

"I want you to tell me," he said. She gave him the same answer she gave Master Luke.

"Nowhere."

His eyes fell away from the stars and down to her. Rey looked up to meet his eyes. Intense brown stared back. Kylo reminded her of someone, but she wasn't sure who.

"What about you?" she asked. He was silent like he was deciding whether or not to tell her.

"Chandrila," Kylo answered quietly. Rey nodded silently. It was a core world, which was all she knew.

"Can you see it?" she asked him. He looked back out the window.

"I didn't live there long. My parents moved around a lot."

"Tell me," Rey whispered. She wanted to know more. If she couldn't know about her parents, she could learn about his.

Kylo was silent for a moment. Heart pounding because of the tension, Rey briefly wondered if he would get angry. But he didn't.

"My parents were busy with their careers when I was born. I grew up alone. My mother knew I was strong, but she didn't know what to do about it. My father never really understood. They sent me away to train with my- Luke Skywalker. But I didn't belong there." He paused for a moment. "He tried to kill me."

 _Luke had tried to kill him? Why?_

"I killed him and his students and burned the school to the ground." His voice was flat through the whole thing, sounding like he was reciting lines. But she could hear the pain, the loneliness, the anger he was trying to suppress.

The worst part was that he seemed more human. All the horrible things he had done made him seem like a monster. But he wasn't. He didn't look angry after talking with her. Just broken. Lonely.

 _Like her,_ she realized with a start.

"What about you?" Kylo asked suddenly. Rey wasn't sure if she wanted to tell him about her parents, so she told him about Jakku.

"I don't know where I came from. I worked for Unkar Plutt since I was eight, scavenging parts from the Imperial ships left from the war. It was just surviving. Get enough parts so you could eat and keep working. I kept hoping my-" she stopped herself just in time, but knew Kylo caught her stumble. "someone would get me off the planet. But nobody came." Rey silently counted in her head for a moment. "Eleven years I was on that planet, until I escaped with Finn." She was quiet for a moment, wondering if he was playing with her. "But you knew all that already didn't you?"

"No," he answered, "I didn't."

Rey looked up at him in surprise. He was truly interested.

Kylo was staring out the window, and she turned her head to do the same, not noticing his eyes on her.

Rey had begun to repair the ship, preparing it in case it would fly again. She had spent her life in Imperial ships, and as a result knew them up and down. Despite that, she rarely had to fix them, but relished the challenge.

Often times, the Force ghosts would accompany her while she worked, keeping her from getting too lonely. The masters would tell her about the Force, each one sharing their knowledge. Rey hungrily listened while she worked, absorbing as much as she could. They all seemed eager to share what they knew and she realized that they probably hadn't been able to talk with many living people.

"When Ben turned, he betrayed himself, as well as his family," Kenobi told her one day, "they keep hoping for him to return."

"Do you know them?" Rey asked as she wrestled with a computer drive.

"Yes, I suppose I do," he answered thoughtfully. She wasn't sure what he meant.

"After his betrayal, the Force itself was unbalanced. We all feel it, which is why those of us who aren't related to him are here, trying to come up with some way to turn him back."

"And I'm your new plan," Rey stated, freeing the drive from the ship with a grunt. Kenobi's silence was her answer.

"I can tell by the way they all look at me," she said quietly, "but I'm used to it."

"A Jedi's path is a lonely one. But it doesn't have to be," Kenobi wisley told her.

"What do you mean?" She started tweaking the drive's inner parts.

"Compassion, or rather love is central to a Jedi's life. In a way, we are encouraged to love."

Rey looked up at him. "Love is not something you'll have to be concerned with in my case. Nobody loves me."

Kenobi gave her a look, like he knew more than she did. The unspoken _we'll see_ was in his eyes. Still, Rey believed what she had said.

Padmé would often tell her about the masters. And Kylo.

"He is the reason why Anakin is so irritable," Padmé explained as she dug in the ship's interior one day, "Ben idolized his mistakes. He blames himself for this and hates that he can't turn him back to the light, the way Luke did for him."

The fondness with which she spoke didn't pass Rey's notice.

"You love him," she stated, pausing momentarily in her work, reflecting on what Kenobi had said.

"Yes," Padmé murmured, staring into the distance, memories in her eyes, "despite everything… I do."

Rey couldn't help but wonder if she had been loved like Padmé and Anakin loved each other.

 _Did her parents love her?_

"What are you doing?" Kylo asked. Rey had climbed inside the Destroyer's ceiling and was intent on repairing the displays on the command deck.

"I'm fixing it," she answered, her voice muffled by the metal. Rey poked her head from the panel she had opened to climb inside.

"How long has it been since this ship flew?" she asked him while hanging upside down. Kylo looked away from her, staring into the wall.

"Six years," he finally answered, a distant look in his eyes.

Rey nodded, staying silent for a moment. "I know all about waiting."

"For what?" She climbed back into the ceiling to try and conceal her emotions. Rey trusted him enough to tell him about her parents, which she knew was her deepest desire, but also her greatest fear.

"My family. They were the ones who left me on Jakku. I always hoped they'd come back." She paused, her hands stilling. "I don't even know their names."

Kylo was silent and she couldn't see his reaction because she was staring at the ceiling, trying to keep back tears.

"Would you like to?" he asked. Rey stuck her head out of the hole again.

"What?" she asked, unsure of his meaning.

"Would you like to see them?"

Her eyes widened. "More than anything."

Rey slid from the ceiling and landed on her feet in front of him.

His forehead creased slightly like he was unsure why they mattered so much. But she could tell he understood it was important to her. It was everything to her.

Kylo led her to a room which had nothing in it. Something about it- Rey felt at peace when she was inside it. A meditation room.

"The Force," Kylo began to explain, "can be used to see through time."

Rey looked up at him in surprise. Nobody had told her that. She could have discovered who her parents were when she first learned about her abilities.

"I can guide you through it." He sat on the floor, crossing his legs. Rey slowly sat across from him, her heart pounding.

"Relax," Kylo told her, "close your eyes."

She followed his instructions, the tremor of his voice calming her, though she wasn't sure why.

"Reach out," he murmured, "feel the balance."

Rey did, but kept control of her abilities so she wouldn't wreck the ship.

"No," Kylo immediately said, "let go. Use your strength."

She was afraid she would bring the ship down, but decided to trust him. The Force pulsed around her, but she was more relaxed.

"Now reach to the past. Let the Force guide you. It knows what you want. It will help you."

Rey pictured what she had seen at Maz's canteen when she touched Luke's lightsaber for the first time. Herself at eight years old, crying into the sky, begging the ship to turn around. She stretched her senses into the past like Kylo had instructed.

Suddenly she was there.

 _A young Rey played by herself in the sands of Jakku. Nearby stood a couple, whispering quietly to themselves, shuffling a few coins between them. Nobody paid them any mind- it was Jakku after all. Rey spotted the ship she had seen taking off before parked near the settlement._

 _The couple must have been her parents._

 _She hungrily turned her eyes back to them, but they had turned away and were walking up to Unkar Plutt's stand. They both wore simple clothes, well worn, indicate they weren't rich. They definitely belonged in the desert. Her mother was tall and lithe, long dark hair like her, flowing down to her waist. Her father was shorter, hair as dusty as the sand dunes and seemed strong, but worn down. Tired._

 _They spoke to Plutt for a moment (her stomach still turned at the sight of the creature). They gestured to her, sitting innocently amongst the dunes drawing shapes the the sand. There was a lot of movements that she identified as negotiating motions. Shaking of heads, crossing of arms and whispers between her parents before her mother said something and Plutt nodded in agreement._

 _When she expected them to pay him, instead he slid credits to them. They turned and left with the credits, walking straight into the drinking hole. She still couldn't see their faces._

 _Dread settled in her gut. This wasn't right. This wasn't what she thought happened. They were going to come back for her._

 _They came out of the a few moments later. Her father carried a box labeled_ Gardulla _. Rey could feel her heart slowly breaking. They turned towards her. She could see their faces._

 _Her mother looked like her, but more regal, high cheekbones and narrow nose that didn't seem to belong in the desert. Her father, however was rougher looking, stubble dusting his cheeks and lined eyes that belonged in the desert, used to squinting into the distance. But they both had the circles under their eyes and the hollow cheeks that spoke of addiction._

 _They walked straight passed the young Rey playing in the sand._

 _"Mama?" she asked in a slightly squeaky voice, only confirming her fears, "Papa?"_

 _Young Rey reached for them, tiny fingers grasping in the air. They kept walking, as if she wasn't even there. She picked herself from the ground and started to follow them. Plutt left his stand to come after her._

 _Her parents boarded the ship, showing more care to the box in her father's arms then her. The door to the ship closed as she ran towards it._

 _"No!" Rey shouted before Plutt grabbed her small arm._

 _"You belong to me now," he told her as the ship took off._

 _"No!" she shouted as the ship flew into the air," come back!"_

 _"Come on girl." Plutt jerked harshly on her arm as the ship disappeared into the sky._

Rey's eyes flew open and she was back in the room. She fell forwards, the room spinning around her. Hands caught her, holding her up.

Kylo was there.

Tears were running down her cheeks and she started sobbing. Rey gripped onto his robes. He held her, even though he didn't know what she saw.

"They sold me for drinking money." Rey broke down into his shoulder. "They left me."

Kylo patiently held her as she cried. For the first time, she was actually comforted by his presence.

 _He understood._

Kylo carefully picked her up and she held onto him as he brought her back to the room she claimed as hers. Gently, he laid her on the bed. When he tried to leave, she caught his hand.

"Please," Rey whispered. She didn't want to be alone. His face remained stoic, but something softened in his eyes. He sat beside her, her hand still holding his. Rey stared into the wall, what she had seen flashing over her eyes. She blinked and more tears fell down her cheeks.

 _They left her._

 _They sold her._

Rey felt his eyes on her and looked up at him. His presence was calming and she relaxed slowly with his eyes on her. Her eyes drifted shut, exhaustion taking over her.

Kylo was still there when she woke up.

He didn't leave her.


	6. Chapter 5

Within a few days, Rey was sure the ship would fly given the opportunity. Kylo's habit of cutting the walls had destroyed many systems, but she decided they were non essential.

He came up to her as Rey stood on the command deck, looking out into space. She knew she was covered in sweat and grease, but was grinning widely. This was the biggest thing she'd ever fixed.

"Why are you happy?" Kylo asked. Rey looked over at him. It was an odd question, like he was trying to understand her again.

"I like fixing things," she told him. He nodded silently.

Rey realized that being alone on the ship for years on end must have been hard. She had heard stories of people who had been stranded in space for years. When they were found, they had often gone insane.

"What do you like to do?" Rey asked unsurely. Kylo was silent and she started to wonder if he'd answer her.

"I don't know," he finally said.

"You must do something here," she protested, shrugging her shoulders slightly.

"I meditate," he recited as if reading from a book, "I train. The Supreme Leader guides me…" his voice trailed off uncertainly.

Rey shifted in place, an idea coming to her, but she wasn't sure if she should suggest it.

"Let me train with you," she finally said. Kylo looked down at her, unable to hide his surprise.

"What?"

Rey was suddenly hesitant, "I know what it's like to have no one there."

"Alright." She was surprised when he agreed after a moment.

Rey stood a cross from him in the training room, Luke's lightsaber held in her hand. Kylo stood, calmly watching and waiting for her to make a move.

She ignited her lightsaber, hearing it's familiar buzz which simultaneously relaxed her and excited her. It had been almost a week since she'd trained. And too long since she'd been able to test her skills against someone. Twirling it a few times in the air, feeling it's response, she looked up to Kylo, feeling her lips twitch.

Rey surged towards him. If he was surprised, he didn't show it, igniting his lightsaber and deflecting hers to the side. They fought, cutting and parrying back and forth, testing each other.

"Ben and Rey are sparring!" Kenobi shouted, making all the ghosts look up in confusion. Padmé and Anakin stood quickly, their conversation ceasing in an instant.

One by one they disappeared from their current positions and reappeared in the training room. They watched from the corners, choosing to remain invisible as the figures moved together, lightsabers buzzing and clashing.

"She better not break that," Anakin muttered.

"Do you care about that old thing more than your grandson?" Kenobi asked, sending Anakin into silence.

Kylo narrowed his eyes slightly as they fought. Rey was more skilled than he gave her credit for. She knew what she was doing.

Forcing her to step back, he pressed harder. Rey kept pace with him. His blood was rushing through his veins.

 _He was actually enjoying this._

Kylo could feel her using the Force, anticipating his movements. Responding in kind, he stretched out his senses, feeling _her_.

His eyes flickered over her for a moment. Rey was whirling around him, robes flying around her. _Beautiful_ was the thought that came to mind, but he automatically pushed it away. He shouldn't be getting close to her.

The momentary fight with himself was enough time for her to send his lightsaber spinning to the floor, pointing hers at his chest. Her head turned slightly as if wondering what distracted him.

Kylo wasn't going to tell her.

 _It's you._

"I can't believe it!" Padmé excitedly clapped her hands as Rey sent his lightsaber spinning across the ground.

"Peculiar it is," Yoda observed, folding his hands over his cane thoughtfully.

"Did you see that? He got distracted! By her. She's getting through to him."

"I can feel the light pulling harder at him," Kenobi interrupted, appearing out of nowhere, "he may return yet. There's hope."

"Yes," Anakin mused, watching them closely, "hope."

Kylo stood across from her, breathing a bit heavier, hands slightly raised as she pointed a lightsaber at his chest. It was only for a moment that she was tempted to hurt him. Rey pushed past it quickly and shut off the lightsaber, arm falling to her side. Her heart was still pounding. What distracted him? He didn't get distracted.

"Again?" she asked, shrugging slightly.

Rey smiled as he called his lightsaber back to his hand, eyes flickering up to meet hers. There was a new emotion on his face, but it disappeared quickly. The tiniest hint of a smile touched his lips, and she realized he was enjoying this as much as she was.

It was only then that she realized she hasn't been holding back. Rey had used her strength and hadn't wrecked the ship.

"Why have you removed your mask?" Snoke asked a kneeling Kylo.

"It frightens her, Supreme Leader. It causes her to resist," he answered.

"Then she is turning?" he asked, a hint of interest in his otherwise emotionless tone.

"Yes." Snoke's only response was a drawn out hum.

"She is powerful, more so than she realizes. She will turn, and then-"

"I see what you know to be true," he interrupted, "your compassion has not dimmed, it has only grown. Are your loyalties shifting?"

"No!" Kylo protested, standing before his Master, "I have been loyal to you. I destroyed the school, I killed them all, I came to you. I've remained loyal throughout the years. Why do you doubt me now?"

"You dare speak to your master in that manner?!" Snoke roared, shooting upright, his voice shaking the room. He clenched his fist, sending the Force constricting over Kylo, freezing his muscles and causing him to crash to the ground.

"I believe that you need a reminder of the dark side," Snoke hissed, tightening his grip.

His mouth fell open in a soundless scream as intense pain was sent through him. Every muscle fiber was on fire. The Force itself was tearing him apart. It seemed to go on forever before it stopped in a flash.

"Are you reminded?" Snoke asked, voice dangerously low.

"Yes… Master." His breathing was labored as he laid on the ground.

"Disappointment," he hissed, "you will turn the girl. Or you will die." The hologram disappeared, leaving Kylo alone in the dark room.

Out of view, a group of Force ghosts had gathered around Kylo.

"Are we too late?" Kenobi asked, "even with her, Snoke keeps his claws tightly in him."

"But did you see? He resisted." Anakin looked more hopeful than he had in a long time.

"And maybe she'll be able to bring him back." Padmé smiled at her husband. "He cares for her."

"But does she for him?" Kenobi asked. Silence fell over them.

"Perhaps it will be enough," Padmé added uncertaintly. But they all knew it wasn't. Until Rey saw the light in him, Ben could never come back.

"Kylo?" Rey called out, wandering down the halls of the northern sector. She felt something. Someone else was on this ship, an overbearing presence of darkness.

"Kylo?"

The door to the audience hall was slightly ajar. She peered through the crack. Inside was a massive hologram, which she couldn't make out from her position. What she could see was Kylo kneeling before it.

"I see what you know to be true," the hologram rasped, "your compassion has not dimmed, it has only grown. Are your loyalties shifting?"

 _Compassion? What Kenobi had told her about?_

"No!" Kylo protested, standing up, "I have been loyal to you. I destroyed the school, I killed them all, I came to you. I've remained loyal throughout the years. Why do you doubt me now?"

"You dare speak to your master in that manner?!" It roared, standing upright, voice shaking the room. Rey shrunk away. Kylo may have scared her once, but the presence was terrifying, teeming with enough darkness to freeze her blood.

The figure moved slightly and Kylo fell to the ground with a sickening thud. The hologram was doing this.

"I believe that you need a reminder of the dark side," it hissed. Kylo was shaking now, his mouth open in a soundless scream. Rey was transfixed at the doorway, her body frozen as if the Force itself was holding her there.

"Are you reminded?" it asked, voice dangerously low.

"Yes… Master." Kylo spoke submissively, breathing heavily like he wasn't able to do much else.

"Disappointment," it hissed, "you will turn the girl. Or you will die." The hologram disappeared leaving Kylo alone and on the floor of the dark room.

 _He had been trying to turn her?_

But he didn't have a choice. He was under threat. And he had still been… kind to her, talking with her. Training with her. Coming back for her. Saving her life at nearly the cost of his own. Helping her see her parents. Comforting her after she found out the truth.

Rey looked to Kylo breathing heavily on the floor. She made her decision.

Rey pushed open the door and ran to him, kneeling beside him.

"What happened?" she asked, wondering if he would tell her more. Darkness lingered heavily in the room. Rey tried to help him up, but he pushed her away.

"Kylo?" A mix of hurt and surprise struck her. He hadn't pushed her away before.

"I'm alright," he hissed, "nothing happened."

"Bullshit," she snapped, "I saw everything."

His already pale complexion seemed to lose even more color. He struggled to his feet while she knelt on the ground.

"Did he hurt you because you didn't turn me?" Rey asked quietly. Kylo's jaw tightened and he looked away from her, silently giving her her answer. A sinking weight settled in her stomach and she sighed quietly.

He turned away from her, but something was on his face that she hadn't seen before. Shame.

"Why aren't you angry?" Rey asked quietly. She had been eavesdropping. Anger seemed to be his response to most situations.

"I don't know," he whispered, "but I can't get angry at you." Kylo looked up, conflict in his eyes. "I just can't."

The single light from the ceiling fell over him coldly, outlining his figure against the dark walls.

"Did you tell me the truth?" she asked quietly, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer, "about… everything."

Rey had been sure he wasn't lying.

"I never lied to you," he whispered. She climbed to her feet. He was telling the truth.

"Rey, I-" Kylo began but a wave passed over her- a call through the Force. Rey stumbled and he caught her before she fell.

"What is it?" he asked.

It was Leia. She was scared. They needed help.

"The Resistance," she whispered, "they're in trouble."

"Then you have to go to them."

"What?" Rey breathed, looking up at him. Kylo was staring into the distance, anguish on his face. If she went, he would be hurt. She didn't want that.

"You have to go." He turned to her. "Take my Fighter. You shouldn't waste time."

"No… you'll be stranded here. You'll die!"

"Go!" Kylo almost shouted, but she knew he wasn't angry. He sounded desperate. His voice instantly softened to something hesitant and unsure, something she had never heard from him before. "I won't ask you to come back."

Rey couldn't answer him. She didn't know how long she would be gone. Or if she could even find the place again.

"Thank you," she whispered, before running from the room. Rey ran to the hangar and started the ship, quickly setting a course for D'Qar.

The ship rose slowly from the floor and she looked back at the Destroyer before she took off. The Force ghosts stood in the hangar, all of them watching. Rey could sense their disappointment. Especially Padmé's

"I'm sorry," she whispered before accelerating from the Destroyer and into the stars.

"General Hux," Snoke said, the slightest hint of satisfaction in his tone, "you have served me well. For this, I give you a task."

"Yes Supreme Leader." Hux was kneeling before the throne.

 _This was what he was waiting for._

Snoke leaned forward.

"Kill Kylo Ren." Vengeance was in his voice. The boy had betrayed the Supreme Leader. He had fallen in love.

 _It was his turn to be at Snoke's side._

Hux looked up, the hint of a smile on his lips. "It will be done."

 _He would not fail._

"He let her go," Kenobi whispered, a finality in his words.

"But why?" Anakin looked at the hopeless figure of his grandson, staring out the window of the command deck, watching her leave.

"Because he loves her," Padmé whispered. The Masters silently nodded, trusting her judgment.

"But why didn't she stay?"

"Because she doesn't love him back." Padmé looked to Anakin. "And now, it's too late."

"Snoke is going to kill him." Sadness was in Kenobi's voice. He would miss her. They all would.

"She might come back," Anakin suggested hesitantly.

"No. We know where she's headed. She won't survive alone."


	7. Chapter 6

Rey flew the ship straight into the middle of the field where the captured Resistance fighters were being loaded onto transport ships.

"Stop!" Rey shouted, climbing from the ship, lightsaber in hand. She deflected the first few bolts the Stormtroopers sent her way.

"Rey, run!" Finn shouted from the crowd. She didn't listen, slamming a Stormtrooper into the ground, effectively knocking him out. Three more came at her and Rey quickly sent them to the ground.

A group of seven surged towards her and she bared her teeth slightly, ready to fight. She ducked under a bolt, sending it into another white armored man, seeing him crash to the ground before she slashed at the one who shot at her, sending him down with the other.

They decided shooting at her wasn't the best idea, so they backed away in exchange for those armed with control batons. But they were nothing compared to Kylo's skill, which she had become accustomed to. Rey was just about to send the last one to the ground when a bolt hit her in the back, sending her to the ground. It was only meant to stun her.

"No!" she heard Finn scream, and could hear him fighting against the guards.

"Cowards!" Poe's voice joined his, "you couldn't beat us in a fair fight!"

Rey tried to pick herself up, but the troopers grabbed her, forcing her into a kneeling position.

"Interesting." Black boots stepped up to her. She felt like spitting on them. Looking up spitefully, she saw the black coat and ginger hair of General Hux.

"You are just as powerful as Leader Snoke said you would be," he continued, "perhaps even more so."

Rey struggled against the white clad hands holding her down, ignoring the burning pain in her back.

"Luckily, the Supreme Leader ordered for you to be undamaged. Otherwise, things would have turned out much differently." Hux knelt down to her level and she sent him a withering glare which only seemed to amuse him.

"I must thank you for bringing me this ship." He gestured to the Fighter she had flown here. "We needed the exact coordinates of Kylo Ren's ship to commence the attack. The Supreme Leader will be pleased." Hux ran a gloved finger over her cheekbone, leaving a trail of disgust along her skin. "Take her away. She will be delivered to the Supreme Leader when we arrive at the _Finalizer_."

He stood and brushed off his hands, while Rey was shoved harshly aboard the ship, blasters pointed at her head.

She was thrown into a cell alone.

"Rey?" someone asked. She looked up, and in the cell across from her was a familiar man.

"What's going on?" Padmé asked, rushing to the hangar, the others following, "has she come back?"

The group of invisible spirits watched as the First Order's ships arrived one by one, surrounding the Destroyer.

"We're under attack," Anakin breathed, "we have to warn him."

He disappeared in an instant.

"Ani it's no use!" Kenobi shouted into thin air, "he can't see us!"

"Aware are you that hear he cannot?" Yoda dryly asked, despite the dire situation.

"We have to do something," Padmé said, staring at the increasing number of ships gathering around the Destroyer.

"Han!" Rey scrambled to her feet and clutched onto the bars.

"You alright kid?" he asked, lined face showing genuine concern.

"Yeah," Rey muttered, pushing on the bars slightly, "I have to get out."

"They'll just shoot you," Han muttered tiredly, slumping against the wall.

"I have to warn Kylo." She started looking for hinges on the door.

"Warn him?" Han asked incredulously, "how'd you get away from him?"

Rey stopped her motions and knelt down to his level. "He let me go. He let me try and help."

"I don't understand…" Han pensively muttered, "why would Ben let you go?"

"Maybe he's not as lost as you fear," she whispered. Han looked back to her, the living proof that Ben was still inside Kylo.

 _How did Han know him before, as Ben?_

The transport's engines turned on, interrupting her thoughts. Rey caught a glimpse of the panel on the wall that would open the doors. Breathing deeply, she shut her eyes and stretched her hand towards it. She could hear sparks fly from it before it beeped and all the cell doors opened.

Han scrambled to his feet as the door slid open.

"Are you going to help me?" Rey asked, "and Ben?"

Han was still for a moment before nodding resolutely. "Yes. But I've got to find Leia."

She nodded and he disappeared down the corridor. Two Stormtroopers came towards them. One of them stupidly had her lightsaber with him. Effortlessly, she pulled it to her and lit it. The troopers shot at her but she slashed at one's legs and hit the other over the head, sending them crashing to the ground.

Rey ran to the bridge and found a few more Stormtroopers waiting for her, which she took care of just as quickly. Resistance members rushed in behind her, filling the space quickly.

Technicians shut the transport down and she immediately ran off it, heading for the hangar. The _Millennium Falcon_ was untouched by the First Order. Pulling up the flight logs, she set a course for the Destroyer, in desperate pursuit of the other ships which were ahead of her.

"Ben," Anakin pleaded, desperately pacing around his unaware grandson, "listen, please! You're under attack."

He sat on the edge of his bed, staring into nothing, elbows resting on knees, propping his head on his hands.

"Please," he begged, "hear me. You have to fight back."

Lights flashed on a console nearby. Kylo glanced up at them before using the Force to shut them off. Anakin could feel his despair. He wouldn't do anything without Rey.

"Only one life sign aboard sir," the technician dutifully reported, "presumably Kylo Ren."

General Hux nodded curtly.

"Order the troops to board. But leave Kylo Ren to me."

He turned and followed them off the ship. Walking calmly through the Destroyer, unaffected by it's deathly silence, he found his rival alone on a bridge spanning a deep chasm.

The Stormtroopers walked through the hangar, unaware of the invisible Force ghosts surrounding them.

"Attack!" Anakin shouted, remaining invisible, along with the others. They used the Force to send the Stormtroopers flying, smashing them into each other. Bolts flew harmlessly through their ethereal forms. They were desperate to protect Ben- their last hope for balance.

It was only a few minutes before the Resistance ships landed and their fighters joined their invisible allies. The Force ghosts had to be careful to not give away their existence, resorting to protecting the fighters instead of attacking the troops.

Leia approached, blaster in hand and Han beside her. Despite her Force sensitivity, the ghosts remained invisible to her.

"No!" Anakin shouted as a bolt came her way and he sent it spiraling into the wall. Leia looked surprised, like she could feel his presence, but kept fighting. He smiled at his daughter for a moment, despite the fact she couldn't see him.

Soon enough most of the Stormtroopers were on the ground, either dead or unconscious. The rest fled from the invisible Jedi, returning to their ships. The fighters began cheering with their invisible allies, elated at their victory.

"Hello Ren," Hux hissed to the unmoving figure, blaster pointed at him. "The Supreme Leader sent me."

Kylo felt betrayal slice through him. His master sent the First Order to kill him.

But he didn't care. She left. He could kill him if he wanted. There was nothing left for him.

Hux pulled the trigger and Kylo fell forward, the unimpeded bolt hitting him on his shoulder. It hurt him less than what he already felt. He fell over the guardrail, but instinctively grabbed onto it with one hand so he wouldn't fall into the pit.

"Why aren't you fighting back?" Hux asked, pacing slowly onto the bridge. It only took his trained mind a moment to figure it out. "Is it the girl?"

Kylo didn't answer and he laughed. "You fell in love with her. A scavenger? I'm disappointed, Ren." His finger tightened on the trigger.

 _End it. I've got nothing else to live for._


	8. Chapter 7

Rey found him on the bridge spanning a chasm, hanging onto the guardrail, with Hux standing over him.

"You actually fell in love with her? A scavenger?" Hux mocked and Rey stiffened. Kylo didn't deny it.

"I'm disappointed, Ren." His fingers tightened in the trigger.

She didn't have time to process her thoughts before she ran towards Hux, igniting her lightsaber.

The ginger turned in surprise and shot at her. Rey ducked under it and used the Force to push him over the edge. Hux managed to catch himself on the guardrail like Kylo had, but screamed as his shoulder dislocated with a sickly pop. Rey let him struggle and she dropped her lightsaber so she could help pull Kylo over the guardrail.

"Rey?" The hopelessness from before had vanished with her presence. "You came back?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered, looking to see if he was injured, "I tried to stop them."

Rey had just spotted the blood on his shoulder when Kylo glanced behind her and shot upright. She whirled around to see him holding Hux over the chasm in a Force hold.

"Put me down," Hux choked out, "please."

Kylo glared at him, fury in his eyes, more than had ever been directed at her. Rey knelt motionless until his eyes turned her.

"Ren. Please." Hux was turning a unhealthy shade of red. Rey slowly stood, eyes locked with his. Kylo had to decide for himself.

Looking back to Hux, he threw him harshly onto the bridge.

"Get out," he hissed, not looking at him, "go!"

Hux scrambled away, gripping his injured arm and running from Kylo off the bridge. He disappearing into the ship.

Rey slowly stood to face him, a hesitant smile breaking her lips. Kylo took a step towards her but suddenly froze. He fell to the ground with a thud, his entire body stiffening.

"Kylo!" She ran to where he had fallen. He was shaking, being held in something she couldn't see. It tightened around him and his mouth fell open in a soundness scream. Her hands hoovered uselessly over him. She couldn't do anything to stop it. It was the same thing that had been done to him before- but worse.

"It seems I must take care of my apprentice myself," the voice spoke raspily.

Rey looked up and a gold robed figure stood before Kylo, holding his hand out towards him. Pure darkness radiated from him. He was doing this.

She ran forward, pulling her lightsaber to her and slashing at the solitary figure. The blade of light passed straight through him. The figure turned to her and she could see his face was warped and twisted with old injuries. Rey realized that this must have been the Supreme Leader of the First Order- Snoke. The one who was in the hologram. Kylo's Master. His eyes traveled over her, making her skin crawl.

"You," Snoke hissed, "you will replace him."

Her lightsaber flew from her hands, skittering across the bridge. Rey was thrown into the railing before she could reach for it. The room spun when her head was slammed into the metal. Snoke held her there, though she fought against him, trying to get to Kylo. Through blurred vision Rey could only watch as Snoke leaned closer to him.

"I should have done this when you first defied me."

Kylo could only listen soundlessly in pain. Rey wasn't even sure if he could hear him.

"Goodbye Kylo Ren," he hissed and clenched his fist. Kylo screamed, his entire body going rigid. The sound broke her heart. Then he went still.

"No!" Rey screamed. Snoke looked down in disappointment before disappearing.

"You will come to me," he hissed in her ear, releasing her.

Rey climbed to her feet and stumbled over to him, fighting the spinning of her vision and the pounding in her head. He wasn't breathing.

"Kylo." She gently touched his face. "Kylo!"

He blinked slowly and opened his eyes, chest shallowly rising and falling.

"Rey," he whispered, reaching for her face. He held her cheek, running his fingers over her cheekbone. "You came back."

"Of course I did." She brushed the hair from his eyes. "I'm not leaving you again."

"It's my turn, I think," Kylo told her. His breathing was becoming more strained. Tears stung her eyes.

"No, no please." Rey held desperately onto his hand. "I can't lose you!"

"I can feel it… I can feel the light." His eyes stared into the distance, but focused back on her. "It's warm and engulfing me… it feels right… I see you..." his voice trailed off.

"Thank you," Kylo whispered. His hand fell from hers and his eyes fell shut. He stopped breathing.

"No," Rey begged, tears falling down her cheeks, "please no. Ben, please! Come back." He didn't move.

"No!" she screamed, voice echoing in the chasm and through the ship, her desperation and grief plain for all to see. Rey held onto him, crying, silently begging him to come back. He had no heartbeat.

"Victory is ours!" Kenobi shouted. He felt alive again. Everyone grinned around him, excited as he was. Interacting with the physical world was something they all missed.

Suddenly a scream ripped through the ship, filled with desperation. Padmé turned at the noise and ran through the ship towards the sound.

They all felt it.

Ben was dead.

They disappeared and reappeared where the sound came from.

Kenobi stood at the walkway surrounding the bridge, gripping the railing with ethereal hands. Padmé was already there, Anakin beside her.

Two figures were on the bridge, one laying on the ground, the other kneeling beside him, holding onto him. He could hear her muffled sobs into his chest as she held onto him.

One by one, fellow Force ghosts appeared, lining the walkway, creating a circle of bluish light around the figures.

"No," Padmé whispered. Anakin held her hand as she stared at them, her eyes filling with tears. She had been so hopeful. They both had.

The Resistance fighters cheered as the First Order retreated, boarding their ships and taking off into hyperspace. Stormtroopers laid around them, most dead, but some unconscious.

Leia stood by Han, smiling with him, until a shadow seemed to pass over her. She nearly collapsed and Han caught her.

"What is it?" he asked. She stared into nothing and he could see tears filling her eyes.

"It's Ben," Leia brokenly whispered, holding onto Han, " he's gone."

A scream echoed through the corridors, filled with pain, turning all heads.

"Rey," Finn whispered, running towards it. Leia followed him, Han watching her closely. The fighters stayed rooted in place, unsure of what to do.

The three of them found the source of the sound in the chasm.

"Ben," Han whispered, stepping towards the edge.

They stood on a balcony above the pit, but were close enough to see the two figures on the bridge. Rey was holding onto Ben tightly, her face buried in his chest. The sounds of her sobs faintly echoed through the space.

"I don't understand," Finn said, but Han didn't care, choosing to ignore him. He reached for Leia's hand, looking back to her sadly. Her eyes were wide despite the tears and darted around the space.

"Can't you see them all?" she asked, but Han shook his head.

"Mother," Leia whispered, her brow furrowing, "Father."

Han realized that somehow, they were there. Some kind of… Force ghosts.

 _Force ghosts. Sure. Not the craziest thing he's seen… or not seen._

Her eyes drifted back to the bridge, tears falling down her cheeks. Han wrapped his arms around her, holding her to him while they grieved the death of their son.

Rey knew that the Force ghosts were surrounding her, but she didn't care. She held onto Kylo, desperately hoping that somehow he would come back.

"Please," Rey whispered, "you came back to the light. You can't die now."

 _It wasn't right._

A Force ghost stepped from the ranks of the others, walking calmly onto the bridge. None of the others recognized him, through none would admit it. But somehow, they all knew he belonged. No one stopped him as he walked towards the crying girl.

"I love you," Rey whispered, knowing it was true.

 _How could she only realize it now?_

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up, startled. A man was kneeling beside her. He had a kind face, but what struck her was his eyes. They were ageless, but looked as if he had seen everything.

"He came back to the light." Rey wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement, so she just nodded.

"The Force can do many things," he continued, "but it cannot upset balance. Do you understand?" Rey nodded, absorbed in his words. "Kylo Ren was a creature of darkness by both choice and influence. Ben Solo, however was of the light. He belonged there, but still lived with a streak of darkness." He paused for a moment, a fond smile on his lips. "Like you."

"Solo?" she whispered when he stopped talking. Her eyes drifted upwards and she saw Leia and Han watching, Finn standing nearby. It explained so much, why he imprisoned Han, why Han called him Ben… the man beside her nodded.

"The reason why he held you is because he sensed you were like him. Kylo thought he could turn you to the darkness. He didn't realize it, but you were bringing Ben Solo back. You were bringing balance."

 _Balance- what Kenobi said the Masters wanted. But she had failed._

"It's too late now," Rey whispered, looking down at him, "he's gone."

The man smiled at her, looking down at Kylo as well. "No one is ever really gone."

He placed a hand on Kylo's forehead, closing his eyes. He said nothing, but warmth flowed through her. She felt safe. She felt like she was home.

Kylo inhaled deeply and her eyes widened. The man smiled and pulled his hand away. His eyes opened and he slowly sat up. Rey could hear a gasp from those around them. His eyes locked with hers.

"Rey?" he whispered. His presence felt… different. Lighter.

"Ben?" Rey breathed and he nodded.

She launched towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He caught her and held her tightly. Tears were running down her cheeks. The mysterious man stood, smiling at them.

"Thank you," she whispered, looking at him over Ben's shoulder. He nodded to her and disappeared, leaving her and Ben alone on the bridge.

As he vanished, the engines rumbled to life and the lights flickered on. They pulled apart, looking around the now living ship.

Ben touched her face, and she looked back to him. His eyes searched hers as if reassuring himself she was alright. She brushed his hair from his eyes and smiled. He was alive.

Rey leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Ben kissed her back and pulled her closer. The rest of the world faded away. She loved him. He was alive. That was all that mattered now.

"Solo," Finn whispered, "General, look."

The couple looked up to see Ben sitting up on the bridge, Rey gasping at him.

"It can't be," Han whispered. Leia stepped towards the rail, clasping it.

 _He was alive. But how?_

Rey launched at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and he held her, equally as tight.

"What's going on?" Finn asked again. Leia took pity on the boy and answered him.

"Can't you see it?" she asked, through not in mockery. Finn shook his head.

"They love each other."

"They're in love," Han repeated, simultaneously surprised and unsurprised. Finn gaped down at them, obviously shocked. Rey leaned forward and kissed him. Leia smiled, like she knew this might happen.

 _Or, perhaps because it had already happened before, Han realized as she looked up to him._

"Come on," he said, "let's go see them."

Their foreheads pressed together and she stared into his eyes breathlessly, a hand trailing around his neck. A smile touched his lips and she grinned back. A flash of light sent Ben's eyes flickering from hers, focusing on something behind her. He sat up, her hand falling from his neck.

"Rey," he whispered, "I see them."

She slid away and looked around. The Force ghosts had formed a ring around the bridge. Rey stood, pulling him up beside her.

Her eyes sought out Anakin and Padmé, who stood across from them.

"Grandfather?" Ben asked, looking towards Anakin, who did something she had never seen him do before. He smiled and nodded. His face looked lighter. Happier.

Padmé nodded towards the end of the bridge, causing Ben and Rey to turn around. Leia and Han stood at the other edge. Finn stood back, obviously unsure of what was going on. Ben stepped towards them, but glanced back at Rey. He wanted her to come with him. She walked beside him to the end of the bridge.

"Ben?" Leia asked when he stopped in front of her. She reached up to touch his cheek. He bent down, wrapping his arms around his mother. Ben mumbled something that she couldn't make out.

"I know," Leia told him, tears falling from her tightly closed eyes, "it's alright."

Rey looked to Han who was watching her with something akin to astonishment.

"You were right," he told her before stepping towards her and pulling her to him. Rey was surprised, but wrapped her arms around him, the smell of leather tickling her nose.

Han stepped back and his eyes drifted up to Ben. They stood uncertainly across from each other. Rey stepped towards Leia, who quickly hugged her.

"Thank you," she whispered, sounding just like her mother.

They watched as Ben murmured, "I'm sorry."

Han uncertaintly nodded. "Chewie's a little grumpy, but he'll get over it."

Ben nodded, his jaw tightening slightly.

"I missed you," Han said, "we both did."

He wrapped his arms around Ben who froze slightly in surprise, but hugged his father back. Leia smiled at them, motherly affection in her eyes.

Ben stepped away, his eyes instantly going to Rey's. He reached for her and she wrapped her arms around him, simply enjoying the feel of his arms around her.

Kylo Ren was dead.

Ben Solo was alive.

Han held Leia's hand and they left the bridge behind. Rey looked back and all the Force ghosts had disappeared, but she could still feel their eyes watching. She smiled back at them.

"Thank you," Rey whispered, "for everything."


	9. Epilogue

Two figures stood side by side on the salt covered planet of Crait. Their hair and robes rustled in the wind as they stared into the distance. AT-ATs and TIE Fighters approached them, but they weren't afraid, facing them as the red dust of the planet swirled around them.

"Are you ready?" Rey asked the raven haired man beside her. He took his eyes off the horizon.

"Yes," Ben answered. Their hands found each other, fingers tangling together. They looked back to the approaching First Order, knowing they might not return. But they were together, which was enough for them both.

Far above them, standing over the ancient mine like a guardian, was a single man who glowed slightly against the salty planet. He watched them together, a fond smile on his face. The couple had brought balance, and in return he gave them a life together.

They would not die here.

The Force was independent. But if it owed anyone, it was Rey and Ben Solo.

He watched as both sides turned away. The war was over.

Together they brought balance. And finally, peace.

The man stared into the distance as the sun rose over the battlefield, empty except for the two figures. The sunlight bathed over them as she smiled up to Ben. Slowly the light rose up to the man. Half in the darkness, and half in the light.

Rey looked up to him and Ben followed her eyes. He could feel her smile. The Force nodded to them. And for the last time he disappeared.

They never saw him again.


End file.
